The Golden Gophers start spring practice next week and look to carry the momentum of a two game winning streak to close the 2010 season into their spring workouts. The Gophers are the last team to start workouts among BX schools. The workouts are open to the public and culminate with a controlled scrimmage in lieu of a spring game on April 23 at TCF Bank Stadium. There are plenty of things to watch for in the coming weeks.
1. How well do the players learn how to do things Coach Kill’s way? There are always some growing pains after a coaching changeas coaches and players are working together for the first time. There is a lot of unfulfilled potential on the roster, can Kill bring it out of them?
2. Open season on the depth chart – Who has improved? Who hasn’t? What kind of moves up/down the depth chart can we expect? Who fits into the schemes we’re going to run?
3. Is Marqueis Gray ready to be the man? Which receivers will he develop chemistry with? How quickly does he pick up the offense? What kind of leadership qualities does he possess? How quickly does he progress under “quarterback whisperer” Coach Z?
4. Players on the move – I’m sure there will be plenty of players changing positions once the coaches get a look at them. One that has already leaked out is former DT Jason Ferguson moving to the OL. Who else is moving?
5. Who is transferring out? A coaching change usually means that there are some players that will not like the direction of the program and they leave school to pursue “better opportunities”.
6. Welcome to campus – There are plenty of fresh faces around the Gibson-Nagurski Complex nowadays. How quickly do players like Josh Campion, Ge’Shun Harris, Marcus Jones and John Rabe make their presence felt?
7. Looking for a leader on defense – Who grabs the reins? The defense has seemingly been rudderless for years. Who becomes the heart and soul of this defense? Is it Brendon Beal? Brandon Kirksey? Someone else?
8. DE play – Do we have any DE on campus that can play the way that DC Tracy Claeys expects his DE to play? Our pass rush has been very poor the last few years and even our blitzing schemes have not been able to generate enough pressure. Is DL Wilhite a good fit for the scheme? Is Matt Garin tough enough? Is Kendall Gregory-McGee too big? Is Leston Simpson just another Lackawannabe?
9. What can we expect from the running game? OC Matt Limegrover’s schemes and OL philosophy seem to be very different from what Brewster wanted at the end of his tenure. Former OL Coach Tim Davis’ philosophy was “mass kicks ass” and Limegrover has emphasized quickness and athleticism over bulk. This means that the players need to transform and it will be interesting to see how long it takes. Also there seems to be a running back by committee happening right now. Of the 5 RB on the roster, they either have lots of experience or pretty much none. There is some talent to work with but who separates themselves from the pack?
10. How many recruits will visit during the spring workouts? It seems that Kill really wants to develop a relationship with the recruits he signs and he takes a small school approach to recruiting. I’m expecting to hear about more spring visitors than what has been heard in the past.
No comments:
Post a Comment